Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Educate Emma: Books: Darkness of Morning by Samantha Boyette

Dust Jacket Description:

"Picking up shortly after the events in Morning Rising, Darkness of Morning finds Kara and Dylan drawn back into the world of Inbetween in hopes of stopping Alster and the new King. Though they believe Alster is planning an assault on the Daylands, bringing Dylan over to his side is his true goal. As the girls and their friends plot to bring down Alster, Dylan's moods shift dangerously testing both her relationship with Kara and her commitment to saving the Daylands."

I received this book for review.

Characters: Boyette does well in creating Kara and Dylan's relationship post-Morning Rising. It feels like a natural progression. That being said, Boyette doesn't just dismiss the harsh realities of their previous dynamic. It's a good mix, and I appreciated that after already reading the first novel. Seeing the old favourites of Baron and Lockler was good too, as well as the new addition of Sera. It was nice to reminded of the world again. I was also glad that Kara and Dylan finally approached the issues of Dylan's addiction and Kara's lack of self esteem. On a whole, a pretty decent cast. 4 flowers.

Writing: Boyette has definitely improved since Morning Rising. There's no clunky exposition here and the descriptions are lovely. The dialogue also seems to flow better. It's a significant improvement. 4 and a half flowers.

Plot: Everything just feels too easy. Boyette knows what she needs to do in order to create a developmental arc for the series, but it's like she doesn't make significant effort to get there. Cliches are frequently used, the actions are too easy, and the characters too quickly manipulated. I wanted more tension, more hardship, but it just felt like everyone was stupid. I was disappointed. 2 and a half flowers.

End: Relevant and important for future installments, but I was still numbed by the plot. 3 flowers.

Cover: I really like the basic visual, but I want it to have more interest. 3 flowers.

Overall: While Darkness of Morning has more polished writing, Morning Risinghad better plot elements. It still has a realistic relationship and an appealing world, but I was disappointed by the book's crafting. 3 and a half flowers.

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1. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray (first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty)2. Going Bovine by Libba Bray3. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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